In North Jersey, it could be difficult for three teachers to open a brewing company. They might get multiple questions, coupled with a side dish of parental and administrator skepticism. At the South Jersey Shore, where I once met a superintendent of schools who bartends in the summers and surfs before work, the more laid back atmosphere allows anything to be possible. In this climate, Tuckahoe Brewing was born.

Tim Hanna, Matt McDevitt and Chris Konicki are those three public school teachers. Together with architect, Jim McAfee, (whose wife, Maryann, worked as an educator with the three guys) the four started home-brewing together eight years ago. The group often reminisced that when they retired, they would start their own brewery. Then, they decided they'd be old and didn't want to wait that long. So the young(er) entrepreneurs submitted their application to the state and federal governments in the spring of 2011 and two days before Christmas last year, they were licensed. Tuckahoe beers were flowing like eggnog.

As you cross the imaginary dividing line along the Parkway, somewhere near LBI, you'll notice that you are now in South Jersey (the Phillies' hats in the summer are the give away). But for those at the South Jersey Shore that means even more. For instance, when you visit the Tuckahoe Brewing's website, the term "South Jersey" is referenced twice in the opening paragraph. It also means an emphasis on salt water activities and environmental stewardship. Tim and Jim surf and Chris collects surfboards, enough, according to Jim, to fill the brewery wall-to-wall. They also donated proceeds from one of their pilot beers, New Brighton Coffee Stout, to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, in honor of late surfing legend, George Gerlach.

For that stout, Tuckahoe Brewing used coffee beans from next-door neighbor, Harry and Beans Coffee Company, making donation more than symbolic; it meant a local philanthropy benefited from the work of local family guys and used local ingredients in the final product. "Even though we're still a start-up, we have been donating a lot beer, time, and money to area charities, something that we're very proud of and will always continue to do. We want the people of this area to not only enjoy and feel proud of our beers, but also to ultimately see us as one of the cornerstones of our community," said Tim.

A lot of thinking went into the name of the business. The Lenape used "Tuckahoe," which grew on tree roots, as a source of food and it also has been used for medicinal purposes in the Far East. It is also a section of Upper Township in the Pine Barrens and home to the Tuckahoe Village Train Station, along the Cape May Seashore Line. For the brewery, this makes the "Tuckahoe" branding more bucolic village than modern day Jersey Shore, but you'll get a little flavor of both upon a visit. Literally. Tuckahoe Brewing is located less than 5 miles from Sea Isle City and is right on the border of the southernmost part of the Pine Barrens. A short drive around this area makes customers appreciate that unique combination and it's represented by Tuckahoe Brewing's logo: a historical sailing vessel that was a fixture around the bay of northern Cape May County and the ocean waters off the coast.

Tuckahoe is the newest and smallest of the four Jersey Shore breweries I reviewed, but when the four guys are there on Saturdays, they use this numbers advantage to add personal touches to your experience. One of the brewers will greet you upon your entrance, ask your name, where you're from and answer any questions you might have.

Currently, Tuckahoe beers are on tap only in Atlantic and Cape May counties, but they are working on expanding to the surrounding counties with the goal of getting into Philadelphia, where many Cape May County tourists reside. DC Pale Ale is their flagship beer, Marshallville Wit is a spring summer offering, and the Steelmantown Porter looks like it will be a year round too. Jim told me, "Places want to keep the porter, even though it can be associated as more of a cold weather beer. You don't see a lot of porters in non craft beer bars, so the demand is there and we're trying to keep up. And it's very drinkable year round."

The brewers were testing out a batch of pumpkin when I last spoke with them and upon your visit, you might get lucky and be able to taste something the guys are tinkering with. You should expect classic beer varieties at Tuckahoe, "Each of our beers is very distinct, but they all conform to the traditions of their particular style. We don't want to surprise people with beers that are deviations from what people expect. Instead, we want to impress people by putting beers in their hands that are excellent examples of the categories that they fall into. This is a reflection of who we are as individuals. We respect brewing's history, and we want to add to it without necessarily re-inventing it, and each of our beers expresses this aspect of our personalities," said Tim.

Tuckahoe's one-year anniversary will not be until December of this year (which is a great time for teacher gifts - wink, wink) and you should ask what their plans are by using the contact information below. Because whether you're doing a special weekend in Atlantic City that month or just discovering that Cape May ramps up at Christmastime, remember Tuckahoe Brewing is in between both. It's a great addition to the community, the Jersey Shore and is an asset to the New Jersey craft beer world.

Beer
DC Pale Ale - traditional American Pale Ale
Marshallville Wit - White Belgian Ale
Steelmantown Porter - Smoked Porter
New Brighton Coffee Stout - This is the brew that inspired me to do this Jersey Shore microbrewery series in the first place